Wednesday, January 20, 2016

At Least 20 People Dead After Gunmen Open Fire at Pakistani University

Twenty people have died after several gunmen stormed a university in Pakistan and opened fire today, according to Pakistani officials.

The official death toll was at 20, according to the provincial Gov. Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, and the military operation at the Bacha Khan University has ended. At least 50 more have been injured in the attack.

Four shooters have also been killed, a Pakistani military source told ABC News.

Students, university staff and at least one professor are among the dead.

Gunmen stormed the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, Pakistan, through a rear entrance, according to witnesses, and reportedly began breaking down doors to shoot at students. Witnesses report having also heard several explosions.

Pakistani Prime Minister Mawaz Sharif is in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum at Davos and issued a statement to Pakistan's government media: "Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is deeply grieved over the sad incident of terrorists' attack on Bacha Khan University, Charsada, which has reportedly resulted into the loss of precious human lives and injured many others. Issuing necessary directions to the law enforcement agencies for the earliest elimination of the terrorists, the Prime Minister is personally monitoring the situation and he is continuously informed on the measures taken to combat the terrorists.

Omar Mansoor, the leader of a Pakistani Taliban splinter group and planner of the December 2014 Peshawar school massacre, has claimed responsibility for today’s attack.